Application manual Engineering tools

Transcription

1 Application manual Engineering tools Robot Controller RobotWare 5.0

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3 Application manual Engineering tools RobotWare 5.0 Document ID: 3HAC Revision: F

4 The information in this manual is subject to change without notice and should not be construed as a commitment by ABB. ABB assumes no responsibility for any errors that may appear in this manual. Except as may be expressly stated anywhere in this manual, nothing herein shall be construed as any kind of guarantee or warranty by ABB for losses, damages to persons or property, fitness for a specific purpose or the like. In no event shall ABB be liable for incidental or consequential damages arising from use of this manual and products described herein. This manual and parts thereof must not be reproduced or copied without ABB's written permission, and contents thereof must not be imparted to a third party nor be used for any unauthorized purpose. Contravention will be prosecuted. Additional copies of this manual may be obtained from ABB at its then current charge. Copyright ABB All rights reserved. ABB AB Robotics Products SE Västerås Sweden

5 Table of Contents Overview Product documentation, M Safety Multitasking [623-1] Introduction Overview System parameters RAPID components Task configuration Debug strategies for setting up tasks Priorities Task Panel Settings Select which tasks to start with START button Communication between tasks Persistent variables Waiting for other tasks Synchronizing between tasks Using a dispatcher Other programming issues Share resource between tasks Test if task controls mechanical unit taskid Avoid heavy loops Advanced RAPID Overview Bit functionality Overview RAPID components Bit functionality example Data search functionality Overview RAPID components Data search functionality examples Alias I/O signals Overview RAPID components Alias I/O functionality example Configuration functionality Overview RAPID components Configuration functionality example Power failure functionality Overview RAPID components and system parameters Power failure functionality example Process support functionality Overview RAPID components Process support functionality examples

6 Table of Contents 2.8 Interrupt functionality Overview RAPID components Interrupt functionality examples User message functionality Overview RAPID components User message functionality examples Text table files RAPID support functionality Overview RAPID components RAPID support functionality examples Sensor Interface [628-1] Overview Configuring sensors RAPID components Code examples

7 Overview Overview About this manual This manual explains the basics of when and how to use the following RobotWare base functionality and options: Multitasking (623-1) Advanced RAPID Sensor Interface (628-1) Usage This manual can be used either as a reference to find out if a base functionality or option is the right choice for solving a problem, or as a description of how to use a base functionality or option. Detailed information regarding syntax for RAPID routines and configuration of system parameters is not described here, but can be found in the respective reference manual. Who should read this manual? This manual is mainly intended for robot programmers. Prerequisites The reader should... be familiar with industrial robots and their terminology be familiar with the RAPID programming language be familiar with system parameters and how to configure them. Organization of chapters The manual is organized in the following chapters: Chapter Contents References 1. Describes the option Multitasking. 2. Describes the base functionality Advanced RAPID. 3. Describes the option Sensor Interface. Reference Technical reference manual - RAPID overview Technical reference manual - RAPID Instructions, Functions and Data types Operating manual - IRC5 with FlexPendant Technical reference manual - System parameters Application manual - Arc and Arc Sensor Document Id 3HAC HAC HAC HAC HAC Application manual - Continuous application platform 3HAC Application manual - MultiMove 3HAC Continues on next page 5

8 Overview Continued Revisions Revision Description - First edition A B C D E F Changes in system parameters for Multitasking: MultiStop is removed because it is obsolete The explanation of TrustLevel has been improved Changes in Advanced RAPID: User message functionality describes the new XML format for text table files. Added information in the chapter Sensor interface. Changes in how to use persistent variables in the chapter Multitasking. Changes in Multitasking: STATIC and SEMISTATIC tasks can now be started and stopped from the FlexPendant. This leads to changes in the tasks panel in the QuickSet menu and addition of the Task Panel Settings. Added section about avoiding heavy loops in Multitasking. Advanced RAPID is now part of the RobotWare base functionality. Added new information about new functionality, forward and backward stepping of background tasks in chapter Multitasking. Minor corrections made. 6

9 Product documentation, M2004 Product documentation, M2004 General The robot documentation is divided into a number of categories. This listing is based on the type of information contained within the documents, regardless of whether the products are standard or optional. This means that any given delivery of robot products will not contain all documents listed, only the ones pertaining to the equipment delivered. However, all documents listed may be ordered from ABB. The documents listed are valid for M2004 robot systems. Product manuals All hardware, robots and controllers, will be delivered with a Product manual that contains: Safety information Installation and commissioning (descriptions of mechanical installation, electrical connections) Maintenance (descriptions of all required preventive maintenance procedures including intervals) Repair (descriptions of all recommended repair procedures including spare parts) Additional procedures, if any (calibration, decommissioning) Reference information (article numbers for documentation referred to in Product manual, procedures, lists of tools, safety standards) Part list Foldouts or exploded views Circuit diagrams Technical reference manuals The following manuals describe the robot software in general and contain relevant reference information: RAPID Overview: An overview of the RAPID programming language. RAPID Instructions, Functions and Data types: Description and syntax for all RAPID instructions, functions and data types. System parameters: Description of system parameters and configuration workflows. Application manuals Specific applications (for example software or hardware options) are described in Application manuals. An application manual can describe one or several applications. An application manual generally contains information about: The purpose of the application (what it does and when it is useful) What is included (for example cables, I/O boards, RAPID instructions, system parameters, CD with PC software) How to use the application Examples of how to use the application Continues on next page 7

10 Product documentation, M2004 Continued Operating manuals This group of manuals is aimed at those having first hand operational contact with the robot, that is production cell operators, programmers and trouble shooters. The group of manuals includes: Emergency safety information General safety information Getting started, IRC5 IRC5 with FlexPendant RobotStudio Introduction to RAPID Trouble shooting, for the controller and robot 8

11 Safety Safety Safety of personnel Safety regulations A robot is heavy and extremely powerful regardless of its speed. A pause or long stop in movement can be followed by a fast hazardous movement. Even if a pattern of movement is predicted, a change in operation can be triggered by an external signal resulting in an unexpected movement. Therefore, it is important that all safety regulations are followed when entering safeguarded space. Before beginning work with the robot, make sure you are familiar with the safety regulations described in Operating Manual - IRC5 With Flexpendant. 9

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13 1 Multitasking [623-1] Overview 1 Multitasking [623-1] 1.1 Introduction Overview Purpose The purpose of Multitasking is to be able to execute more than one program at a time. Examples of applications to run in parallel with the main program: Continuous supervision of signals, even if the main program has stopped. This can in some cases take over the job of a PLC. However, the response time will not match that of a PLC. Operator input from FlexPendant unit while the robot is working. Control and activation/deactivation of external equipment. Basic description Up to 20 tasks can be run at the same time. Each task consists of one program (with several program modules) and several system modules. The modules are local in the respective task. What is included en Variables and constants are local in the respective task, but persistents are not. Every task has its own trap handling and event routines are triggered only on its own task system states. The RobotWare option Multitasking gives you access to: the possibility to run up to 20 programs in parallel (one per task) the system parameters: The type Task and all its parameters the data types: taskid, syncident and tasks the instruction:waitsynctask the functions: TestAndSet, TaskRunMec and TaskRunRob Continues on next page 11

14 1 Multitasking [623-1] Overview Continued NOTE! TestAndSet, TaskRunMec and TaskRunRob can be used without the option Multitasking, but they are much more useful together with Multitasking. Basic approach This is the general approach for setting up Multitasking. For more information, see Debug strategies for setting up tasks on page 16 and RAPID components on page Define the tasks you need. 2. Write RAPID code for each task. 3. Specify which modules to load in each task. 12

15 1 Multitasking [623-1] System parameters System parameters About the system parameters This is a brief description of each parameter in Multitasking. For more information, see the respective parameter in Technical reference manual - System parameters. Task These parameters belongs to the type Task in the topic Controller. Parameter Description Task Task in foreground Type Main entry Check unresolved references The name of the task. Note that the name of the task must be unique. This means that it cannot have the same name as the mechanical unit, and no variable in the RAPID program can have the same name. Note that editing the task entry in the configuration editor and changing the task name will remove the old task and add a new one. This means that any program or module in the task will dissapear after a restart with these kind of changes. Used to set priorities between tasks. Task in foreground contains the name of the task that should run in the foreground of this task. This means that the program of the task, for which the parameter is set, will only execute if the foreground task program is idle. If Task in foreground is set to empty string for a task, it runs at the highest level. Controls the start/stop and system restart behavior: NORMAL - The task program is manually started and stopped (e.g. from the FlexPendant). The task stops at emergency stop. STATIC - At a warm start the task program continues from where the it was. The task program is normally not stopped by the FlexPendant or by emergency stop. SEMISTATIC - The task program restarts from the beginning at warm start. The task program is normally not stopped by the FlexPendant or by emergency stop. A task that controls a mechanical unit must be of the type NORMAL. The name of the start routine for the task program. This parameter should be set to NO if the system is to accept unsolved references in the program while linking a module, otherwise set to YES. Continues on next page 13

16 1 Multitasking [623-1] System parameters Continued Parameter TrustLevel MotionTask Description TrustLevel defines the system behavior when a STATIC or SEMISTATIC task program is stopped (e.g. due to error): SysFail - If the program of this task stops, the system will be set to SYS_FAIL. This will cause the programs of all NORMAL tasks to stop (STATIC and SEMISTATIC tasks will continue execution if possible). No jogging or program start can be made. A warm start is required. SysHalt -If the program of this task stops, the programs of all NORMAL tasks will be stopped. If "motors on" is set, jogging is possible, but not program start. A warm start is required. SysStop - If the program of this task stops, the programs of all NORMAL tasks will be stopped but are restartable. Jogging is also possible. NoSafety - Only the program of this task will stop. Indicates whether the task program can control robot movement with RAPID move instructions. Only one task can have MotionTask set to YES unless the option MultiMove is used. 14

17 1 Multitasking [623-1] RAPID components RAPID components Data types This is a brief description of each data type in Multitasking. For more information, see the respective data type in Technical reference manual - RAPID Instructions, Functions and Data types. Data type taskid syncident tasks Description taskid identify available tasks in the system. This identity is defined by the system parameter Task, and cannot be defined in the RAPID program. However, the data type taskid can be used as a parameter when declaring a routine. For code example, see taskid on page 33. syncident is used to identify the waiting point in the program, when using the instruction WaitSyncTask. The name of the syncident variable must be the same in all task programs. For code example, see WaitSyncTask example on page 27. A variable of the data type tasks contains names of the tasks that will be synchronized by the instruction WaitSyncTask. For code example, see WaitSyncTask example on page 27. Instructions This is a brief description of each instruction in Multitasking. For more information, see the respective instruction in Technical reference manual - RAPID Instructions, Functions and Data types. Functions Instruction WaitSyncTask Description This is a brief description of each function in Multitasking. For more information, see the respective function in Technical reference manual - RAPID Instructions, Functions and Data types. Function TestAndSet TaskRunMec TaskRunRob WaitSyncTask is used to synchronize several task programs at a special point in the program. A WaitSyncTask instruction will delay program execution and wait for the other task programs. When all task programs have reached the point, the respective program will continue its execution. For code example, seewaitsynctask example on page 27. Description TestAndSet is used, together with a boolean flag, to ensure that only one task program at the time use a specific RAPID code area or system resource. For code example, seeexample with flag and TestAndSet on page 31. Check if the task program controls any mechanical unit (robot or other unit). For code example, seetest if task controls mechanical unit on page 32. Check if the task program controls any robot with TCP. For code example, seetest if task controls mechanical unit on page

18 1 Multitasking [623-1] Debug strategies for setting up tasks 1.2 Task configuration Debug strategies for setting up tasks TIP! The instructions below show the safe way to make updates. By setting the parameter Type to NORMAL and TrustLevel to NoSafety the task program will be easier to test and any error that may occur will be easier to correct. If you are certain that the code you introduce is correct, you can skip changing values for Type and TrustLevel. If you do not change any system parameters you may not have to do any system restart. Create task Follow this instruction when adding a new task to your system. Action 1. Define the new task by adding an instance of the system parameter type Task, in the topic Controller. 2. Set the parameter Type to NORMAL. This will make it easier to create and test the modules in the task. 3. Create the modules that should be in the task, either from the FlexPendant or offline, and save them. 4. In the system parameters for topic Controller and type Automatic loading of Modules, specify all modules that should be preloaded to the new task. For NORMAL tasks the modules can be loaded later, but STATIC or SEMISTATIC tasks the modules must be preloaded. 5. Stop the controller. 6. In "motors on" state, test and debug the modules until the functionality is satisfactory. 7. Change the parameters Type and TrustLevel to desired values (e.g. SEMISTATIC and SysFail). 8. Restart the system. Make changes to task program Follow this instruction when editing a program in an existing task with Type set to STATIC or SEMISTATIC. Action 1. Change the system parameter TrustLevel to NoSafety. This will make it possible to change and test the modules in the task. 2. If the system parameter needed to be changed, restart the controller (warm start). 3. Select from the menu ABB > Control Panel > FlexPendant > Task Panel Settings. Select All tasks and tap on OK. 4. In the Quickset menu, select which tasks to start and stop manually. See Select which tasks to start with START button on page Press the STOP button to stop the selected STATIC and SEMISTATIC tasks. 6. Select from the menu ABB > Program Editor. The STATIC and SEMISTATIC tasks are now also editable. 16 Continues on next page

19 1 Multitasking [623-1] Debug strategies for setting up tasks Continued Action 7. Change, test and save the modules. 8. Select from the menu ABB > Control Panel > FlexPendant > Task Panel Settings. Set the value back to Only Normal tasks and tap on OK. 9. Change the parameter TrustLevel back to desired value (e.g. SysFail). 10. Restart the system. 17

20 1 Multitasking [623-1] Priorities Priorities How priorities work The default behavior is that all task programs run at the same priority, in a Round Robin way. It is possible to change the priority of one task by setting it in the background of another task. Then the program of the background task will only execute when the foreground task program is idle, waiting for an event, for example. Another situation when the background task program will execute is when the foreground task program has executed a move instruction, as the foreground task will then have to wait until the robot has moved. To set a task in the background of another task, use the parameter Task in foreground. Example of priorities 6 tasks are used, with Task in foreground set as shown in the table below. Task name MAIN BACK1 BACK2 BACK3 SUP1 SUP2 Task in foreground MAIN BACK1 BACK1 SUP1 The priority structure will then look like this: en The programs of the tasks MAIN and SUP1 will take turns in executing an instruction each (Case 1 in figure below). If the MAIN task program is idle, the programs of BACK1 and SUP1 will take turns in executing an instruction each (Case 2 in figure below). If both MAIN and BACK1 task programs are idle, the programs of BACK2, BACK3, and SUP1 will take turns in executing an instruction each (Case 3 in figure below). en

21 1 Multitasking [623-1] Task Panel Settings Task Panel Settings Purpose of Task Panel Settings The default behavior is that only NORMAL tasks are started and stopped with the START and STOP buttons. In the Task Selection Panel you can select which NORMAL tasks to start and stop, see Select which tasks to start with START button on page 20. In the Task Panel Settings the default behavior can be altered so that STATIC and SEMISTATIC tasks also can be stepped, started and stopped with the START and STOP buttons. However, these tasks can only be started and stopped if they have TrustLevel set to NoSafety and they can only be started and stopped in manual mode. Allow selection of STATIC and SEMISTATIC tasks in tasks panel The following procedure details how to make STATIC and SEMISTATIC tasks selectable in the tasks panel. Action 1. On the ABB menu, tap Control Panel, then FlexPendant and then Task Panel Settings. 2. Select All tasks (Normal/Static/Semistatic) with trustlevel nosafety and tap OK. 19

22 1 Multitasking [623-1] Select which tasks to start with START button Select which tasks to start with START button Background The default behavior is that the programs of all NORMAL tasks are started simultaneously when pressing the START button. However, not all NORMAL task programs need to run at the same time. It is possible to select which of the NORMAL task programs will start when pressing the START button. If All Tasks is selected in the Task Panel Settings, the programs of all STATIC and SEMISTATIC tasks with TrustLevel set to NoSafety can be selected to be started with the START button, forward stepped with the FWD button, backward stepped with the BWD button and stopped with the STOP button. If Task Panel Settings is set to Only Normal tasks, all STATIC and SEMISTATIC tasks are greyed out and cannot be selected in the task panel, Quickset menu (see Operating manual - IRC5 with FlexPendant, section Quickset menu, Tasks). All STATIC and SEMISTATIC tasks will be started if start button is pressed. If Task Panel Settings is set to All tasks, STATIC and SEMISTATIC tasks with TrustLevel NoSafety can be selected in the task panel. All selected STATIC and SEMISTATIC tasks can be stopped, stepped and started.. A STATIC or SEMISTATIC task, not selected in the task panel, can still be executing. This is not possible for a NORMAL task. Run Mode is always continuous for STATIC and SEMISTATIC tasks. the Run Mode setting in the Quickset menu is only applicable for NORMAL tasks ( see Operating manual - IRC5 with FlexPendant, section Quickset menu Run Mode). This will only work in manual mode, no STATIC or SEMISTATIC task can be started, stepped or stopped in auto mode. Task Panel Settings The Task Panel Settings is found by tapping the ABB menu, followed by Control Panel, FlexPendant and Task Panel Settings. How to select tasks Follow this instruction to select which ones of the tasks are to be started with the START button. Action 1. Set the controller to manual mode. 20 Continues on next page

23 1 Multitasking [623-1] Select which tasks to start with START button Continued Action 2. On the FlexPendant, tap the QuickSet button (A) and then the tasks panel button (B). The following dialog is shown. en All tasks are shown in this list. If Task Panel Settings is set to Only Normal tasks, all STATIC and SEMISTATIC tasks are greyed out and cannot be selected. If Task Panel Settings is set to All tasks, STATIC and SEMISTATIC tasks with TrustLevel NoSafety can be selected, while STATIC and SEMISTATIC tasks with TrustLevel set to other values are grayed out and cannot be selected. 3. Select the check-boxes for those tasks whose program should be started by the START button. Reset debug settings in manual mode Follow this instruction to resume normal execution manual mode. Action 1. Select Only Normal tasks in the Task Panel Settings. 2. Press START button. All STATIC and SEMISTATIC will run continuously and not be stopped by the STOP button or emergency stop. Continues on next page 21

24 1 Multitasking [623-1] Select which tasks to start with START button Continued Switching to auto mode When switching to auto mode, all STATIC and SEMISTATIC tasks will be deselected from the tasks panel. The stopped STATIC and SEMISTATIC tasks will start next time any of the START, FWD or BWD button are pressed. These tasks will then run continuously forward and not be stopped by the STOP button or emergency stop. What happens with NORMAL tasks that has been deselected in the tasks panel depends on the system parameter Reset in type Auto Condition Reset in topic Controller. If Reset is set to Yes, all NORMAL tasks will be selected in the tasks panel and be started with the START button. If Reset is set to No, only those NORMAL tasks selected in tasks panel will be started by the START button. NOTE! Note that changing the value of the system parameter Reset will affect all the debug resettings (e.g. speed override and simulated I/O). For more information, see Technical reference manual - System parameters, section Auto Condition Reset. Restarting the controller If the controller is restarted, all NORMAL tasks will keep their status while all STATIC and SEMISTATIC tasks will be deselected from the tasks panel. As the controller starts up all STATIC and SEMISTATIC tasks will be started and then run continuously. Deselect task in synchronized mode If a task is in a synchronized mode, i.e. program pointer between SyncMoveOn and SyncMoveOff, the task can be deselected but not reselected. The task cannot be selected until the synchronization is terminated. If the execution continues, the synchronization will eventually be terminated for the other tasks, but not for the deselected task. The synchronization can be terminated for this task by moving the program pointer to main or to a routine. If the system parameter Reset is set to Yes, any attempt to change to Auto mode will fail while a deselected task is in synchronized mode. Changing to Auto mode should make all NORMAL tasks selected, and when this is not possible it is not possible to change to Auto mode. 22

25 1 Multitasking [623-1] Persistent variables 1.3 Communication between tasks Persistent variables About persistent variables To share data between tasks, use persistent variables. A persistent variable is global in all tasks where it is declared. The persistent variable must be declared as the same type and size (array dimension) in all tasks. Otherwise a runtime error will occur. It is sufficient to specify an initial value for the persistent variable in one task. If initial values are specified in several tasks, only the initial value of the first module to load will be used. TIP! When a program is saved, the current value of a persistent variable will be used as initial value in the future. If this is not desired, reset the persistent variable directly after the communication. Example with persistent variable In this example the persistent variables startsync and stringtosend are accessed by both tasks, and can therefore be used for communication between the task programs. Main task program: MODULE module1 PERS bool startsync:=false; PERS string stringtosend:=""; PROC main() stringtosend:="this is a test"; startsync:= TRUE ENDPROC ENDMODULE Background task program: MODULE module2 PERS bool startsync; PERS string stringtosend; PROC main() WaitUntil startsync; IF stringtosend = "this is a test" THEN... ENDIF!reset persistent variables startsync:=false; stringtosend:=""; ENDPROC ENDMODULE Continues on next page 23

26 1 Multitasking [623-1] Persistent variables Continued Module for common data When using persistent variables in several tasks, there should be declarations in all the tasks. The best way to do this, to avoid type errors or forgetting a declaration somewhere, is to declare all common variables in a system module. The system module can then be loaded into all tasks that require the variables. 24

27 1 Multitasking [623-1] Waiting for other tasks Waiting for other tasks Two techniques Some applications have task programs that execute independently of other tasks, but often task programs need to know what other tasks are doing. A task program can be made to wait for another task program. This is accomplished either by setting a persistent variable that the other task program can poll, or by setting a signal that the other task program can connect to an interrupt. Polling This is the easiest way to make a task program wait for another, but the performance will be the slowest. Persistent variables are used together with the instructions WaitUntil or WHILE. If the instruction WaitUntil is used, it will poll internally every 100 ms. CAUTION! Do not poll more frequently than every 100 ms. A loop that polls without a wait instruction can cause overload, resulting in lost contact with the FlexPendant. Polling example Main task program: MODULE module1 PERS bool startsync:=false; PROC main() startsync:= TRUE;... ENDPROC ENDMODULE Interrupt Background task program: MODULE module2 PERS bool startsync:=false; PROC main() WaitUntil startsync;! This is the point where the execution! continues after startsync is set to TRUE... ENDPROC ENDMODULE By setting a signal in one task program and using an interrupt in another task program, quick response is obtained without the work load caused by polling. The drawback is that the code executed after the interrupt must be placed in a trap routine. Continues on next page 25

28 1 Multitasking [623-1] Waiting for other tasks Continued Interrupt example Main task program: MODULE module1 PROC main() SetDO do1,1;... ENDPROC ENDMODULE Background task program: MODULE module2 VAR intnum intno1; PROC main() CONNECT intno1 WITH wait_trap; ISignalDO do1, 1, intno1; WHILE TRUE DO WaitTime 10; ENDWHILE ENDPROC TRAP wait_trap! This is the point where the execution! continues after do1 is set in main task... IDelete intno1; ENDTRAP ENDMODULE 26

29 1 Multitasking [623-1] Synchronizing between tasks Synchronizing between tasks Synchronizing using WaitSyncTask Synchronization is useful when task programs are depending on each other. No task program will continue beyond a synchronization point in the program code until all task programs have reached that point in the respective program code. The instruction WaitSyncTask is used to synchronize task programs. No task program will continue its execution until all task programs have reached the same WaitSyncTask instruction. WaitSyncTask example In this example, the background task program calculates the next object's position while the main task program handles the robots work with the current object. The background task program may have to wait for operator input or I/O signals, but the main task program will not continue with the next object until the new position is calculated. Likewise, the background task program must not start the next calculation until the main task program is done with one object and ready to receive the new value. Main task program: MODULE module1 PERS pos object_position:=[0,0,0]; PERS tasks task_list{2} := [["MAIN"], ["BACK1"]]; VAR syncident sync1; PROC main() VAR pos position; WHILE TRUE DO!Wait for calculation of next object_position WaitSyncTask sync1, task_list; position:=object_position;!call routine to handle object handle_object(position); ENDWHILE ENDPROC PROC handle_object(pos position)... ENDPROC ENDMODULE Continues on next page 27

30 1 Multitasking [623-1] Synchronizing between tasks Continued Background task program: MODULE module2 PERS pos object_position:=[0,0,0]; PERS tasks task_list{2} := [["MAIN"], ["BACK1"]]; VAR syncident sync1; PROC main() WHILE TRUE DO!Call routine to calculate object_position calculate_position;!wait for handling of current object WaitSyncTask sync1, task_list; ENDWHILE ENDPROC PROC calculate_position()... object_position:=... ENDPROC ENDMODULE 28

31 1 Multitasking [623-1] Using a dispatcher Using a dispatcher What is a dispatcher? A digital signal can be used to indicate when another task should do something. However, it cannot contain information about what to do. Instead of using one signal for each routine, a dispatcher can be used to determine which routine to call. A dispatcher can be a persistent string variable containing the name of the routine to execute in another task. Dispatcher example In this example, the main task program calls routines in the background task by setting routine_string to the routine name and then setting do5 to 1. In this way, the main task program initialize that the background task program should execute the routine clean_gun first and then routine1. Main task program: MODULE module1 PERS string routine_string:=""; PROC main()!call clean_gun in background task routine_string:="clean_gun"; SetDO do5,1; WaitDO do5,0;!call routine1 in background task routine_string:="routine1"; SetDO do5,1; WaitDO do5,0;... ENDPROC ENDMODULE Background task program: MODULE module2 PERS string routine_string:=""; PROC main() WaitDO do5,1; %routine_string%; SetDO do5,0; ENDPROC PROC clean_gun()... Continues on next page 29

32 1 Multitasking [623-1] Using a dispatcher Continued ENDPROC PROC routine1()... ENDPROC ENDMODULE 30

33 1 Multitasking [623-1] Share resource between tasks 1.4 Other programming issues Share resource between tasks Flag indicating occupied resource System resources, such as FlexPendant, file system and I/O signals, are available from all tasks. However, if several task programs use the same resource, make sure that they take turns using the resource, rather than using it at the same time. To avoid having two task programs using the same resource at the same time, use a flag to indicate that the resource is already in use. A boolean variable can be set to true while the task program uses the resource. To facilitate this handling, the instruction TestAndSet is used. It will first test the flag. If the flag is false, it will set the flag to true and return true. Otherwise, it will return false. Example with flag and TestAndSet In this example, two task programs try to write three lines each to the FlexPendant. If no flag is used, there is a risk that these lines are mixed with each other. By using a flag, the task program that first execute the TestAndSet instruction will write all three lines first. The other task program will wait until the flag is set to false and then write all its lines. Main task program: PERS bool tproutine_inuse := FALSE;... WaitUntil TestAndSet(tproutine_inuse); TPWrite "First line from MAIN"; TPWrite "Second line from MAIN"; TPWrite "Third line from MAIN"; tproutine_inuse := FALSE; Background task program: PERS bool tproutine_inuse := FALSE;... WaitUntil TestAndSet(tproutine_inuse); TPWrite "First line from BACK1"; TPWrite "Second line from BACK1"; TPWrite "Third line from BACK1"; tproutine_inuse := FALSE; 31

34 1 Multitasking [623-1] Test if task controls mechanical unit Test if task controls mechanical unit Two functions for inquiring There are functions for checking if the task program has control of any mechanical unit, TaskRunMec, or of a robot, TaskRunRob. TaskRunMec will return true if the task program controls a robot or other mechanical unit. TaskRunRob will only return true if the task program controls a robot with TCP. TaskRunMec and TaskRunRob are useful when using MultiMove. With MultiMove you can have several tasks controlling mechanical units, see Application manual - MultiMove. NOTE! For a task to have control of a robot, the parameter Type must be set to NORMAL and MotionTask must be set to YES. See System parameters on page 13. Example with TaskRunMec and TaskRunRob In this example, the maximum speed for external equipment is set. If the task program controls a robot, the maximum speed for external equipment is set to the same value as the maximum speed for the robot. If the task program controls external equipment but no robot, the maximum speed is set to 5000 mm/s. IF TaskRunMec() THEN IF TaskRunRob() THEN!If task controls a robot MaxExtSpeed := MaxRobSpeed(); ELSE!If task controls other mech unit than robot MaxExtSpeed := 5000; ENDIF ENDIF 32

35 1 Multitasking [623-1] taskid taskid taskid syntax Code example A task always has a predefined variable of type taskid that consists of the name of the task and the postfix "Id". For example, the variable name of the MAIN task is MAINId. In this example, the module PART_A is saved in the task BACK1, even though the Save instruction is executed in another task. BACK1Id is a variable of type taskid that is automatically declared by the system. Save \TaskRef:=BACK1Id, "PART_A" \FilePath:="HOME:/DOORDIR/PART_A.MOD"; 33

36 1 Multitasking [623-1] Avoid heavy loops Avoid heavy loops Background tasks loop continuously A task program is normally executed continuously. This means that a background task program is in effect an eternal loop. If this program does not have any waiting instruction, the background task may use too much computer power and make the controller unable to handle the other tasks. Example MODULE background_module PROC main() WaitTime 1; IF di1=1 THEN... ENDIF ENDPROC ENDMODULE If there was no wait instruction in this example and di1 was 0, then this background task would use up the computer power with a loop doing nothing. 34

37 2 Advanced RAPID 2.1. Overview 2 Advanced RAPID 2.1. Overview About Advanced RAPID The RobotWare base functionality Advanced RAPID is intended for robot programmers who develop applications that require advanced functionality. Advanced RAPID includes many different types of functionality, which can be divided into these groups: Functionality group Bit functionality Data search functionality Alias I/O functionality Configuration functionality Power failure functionality Process support functionality Interrupt functionality User message functionality RAPID support functionality Description Bitwise operations on a byte. Search and get/set data objects (e.g. variables). Give signal an optional alias name. Get/set system parameters. Restore signals after power failure. Useful when creating process applications. More interrupt functionality than included in RobotWare base functionality. Error messages and other texts. Miscellaneous support for the programmer. 35

38 2 Advanced RAPID Overview 2.2 Bit functionality Overview Purpose What is included The purpose of the bit functionality is to be able to make operations on a byte, seen as 8 digital bits. It is possible to get or set a single bit, or make logical operations on a byte. These operations are useful, for example, when handling serial communication or group of digital signals. Bit functionality includes: the data type byte instructions used set a bit value:bitset and BitClear function used to get a bit value: BitCheck functions used to make logical operations on a byte: BitAnd, BitOr, BitXOr, BitNeg, BitLSh and BitRSh 36

39 2 Advanced RAPID RAPID components RAPID components Data types This is a brief description of each data type used for the bit functionality. For more information, see the respective data type in Technical reference manual - RAPID Instructions, Functions and Data types. Data type Description byte The data type byte represent a decimal value between 0 and 255. Instructions This is a brief description of each instruction used for the bit functionality. For more information, see the respective instruction in Technical reference manual - RAPID Instructions, Functions and Data types. Instruction BitSet BitClear Description BitSet is used to set a specified bit to 1 in a defined byte data. BitClear is used to clear (set to 0) a specified bit in a defined byte data. Functions This is a brief description of each function used for the bit functionality. For more information, see the respective function in Technical reference manual - RAPID Instructions, Functions and Data types. Function BitAnd BitOr Description BitAnd is used to execute a logical bitwise AND operation on data types byte. BitOr is used to execute a logical bitwise OR operation on data types byte. BitXOr BitXOr (Bit exclusive Or) is used to execute a logical bitwise XOR operation on data types byte. BitNeg BitNeg is used to execute a logical bitwise negation operation (one s complement) on data types byte. BitLSh BitLSh (Bit Left Shift) is used to execute a logical bitwise left shift operation on data types byte. BitRSh BitRSh (Bit Right Shift) is used to execute a logical bitwise right shift operation on data types byte. BitCheck BitCheck is used to check if a specified bit in a defined byte data is set to 1. TIP! Even though not part of the option, the functions for conversion between a byte and a string, StrToByte and ByteToStr, are often used together with the bit functionality. 37

40 2 Advanced RAPID Bit functionality example Bit functionality example Program code CONST num parity_bit := 8;!Set data1 to VAR byte data1 := 38;!Set data2 to VAR byte data2 := 34; VAR byte data3;!set data3 to data3 := BitAnd(data1, data2);!set data3 to data3 := BitOr(data1, data2);!set data3 to data3 := BitXOr(data1, data2);!set data3 to data3 := BitNeg(data1);!Set data3 to data3 := BitLSh(data1, 2);!Set data3 to data3 := BitRSh(data1, 1);!Set data1 to BitSet data1, parity_bit;!set data1 to BitClear data1, parity_bit;!if parity_bit is 0, set it to 1 IF BitCheck(data1, parity_bit) = FALSE THEN BitSet data1, parity_bit; ENDIF 38

41 2 Advanced RAPID Overview 2.3 Data search functionality Overview Purpose What is included The purpose of the data search functionality is to search and get/set values for data objects of a certain type. Here are some examples of applications for the data search functionality: Setting a value to a variable, when the variable name is only available in a string. List all variables of a certain type. Set a new value for a set of similar variables with similar names. Data search functionality includes: the data type datapos instructions used to find a set of data objects and get or set their values:setdatasearch, GetDataVal, SetDataVal and SetAllDataVal a function for traversing the search result: GetNextSym 39

42 2 Advanced RAPID RAPID components RAPID components Data types This is a brief description of each data type used for the data search functionality. For more information, see the respective data type in Technical reference manual - RAPID Instructions, Functions and Data types. Data type datapos Description datapos is the enclosing block to a data object (internal system data) retrieved with the function GetNextSym. Instructions This is a brief description of each instruction used for the data search functionality. For more information, see the respective instruction in Technical reference manual - RAPID Instructions, Functions and Data types. Instruction SetDataSearch GetDataVal SetDataVal SetAllDataVal Description SetDataSearch is used together with GetNextSym to retrieve data objects from the system. GetDataVal makes it possible to get a value from a data object that is specified with a string variable, or from a data object retrieved with GetNextSym. SetDataVal makes it possible to set a value for a data object that is specified with a string variable, or from a data object retrieved with GetNextSym. SetAllDataVal make it possible to set a new value to all data objects of a certain type that match the given grammar. Functions This is a brief description of each function used for the data search functionality. For more information, see the respective function in Technical reference manual - RAPID Instructions, Functions and Data types. Function GetNextSym Description GetNextSym (Get Next Symbol) is used together with SetDataSearch to retrieve data objects from the system. 40

43 2 Advanced RAPID Data search functionality examples Data search functionality examples Set unknown variable This is an example of how to set the value of a variable when the name of the variable is unknown when programming, and only provided in a string. VAR string my_string; VAR num my_number; VAR num new_value:=10; my_string := "my_number";!set value to 10 for variable specified by my_string SetDataVal my_string,new_value; Reset a range of variables This is an example where all numeric variables starting with "my" is reset to 0. VAR string my_string:="my.*"; VAR num zerovar:=0; SetAllDataVal "num"\object:=my_string,zerovar; List/set certain variables In this example, all numeric variables in the module "mymod" starting with "my" are listed on the FlexPendant and then reset to 0. VAR datapos block; VAR string name; VAR num valuevar; VAR num zerovar:=0;!search for all num variables starting!with "my" in the module "mymod" SetDataSearch "num"\object:="my.*"\inmod:="mymod";!loop through the search result WHILE GetNextSym(name,block) DO!Read the value from each found variable GetDataVal name\block:=block,valuevar;!write name and value for each found variable TPWrite name+" = "\Num:=valuevar;!Set the value to 0 for each found variables SetDataVal name\block:=block,zerovar; ENDWHILE 41

44 2 Advanced RAPID Overview 2.4 Alias I/O signals Overview Purpose What is included The Alias I/O functionality gives the programmer the ability to use any name on a signal and connect that name to a configured signal. This is useful when a RAPID program is reused between different systems. Instead of rewriting the code, using a signal name that exist on the new system, the signal name used in the program can be defined as an alias name. Alias I/O functionality consists of the instruction AliasIO. 42

45 2 Advanced RAPID RAPID components RAPID components Data types Instructions There are no data types for the Alias I/O functionality. This is a brief description of each instruction used for the Alias I/O functionality. For more information, see the respective instruction in Technical reference manual - RAPID Instructions, Functions and Data types. Instruction AliasIO Description AliasIO is used to define a signal of any type with an alias name, or to use signals in built-in task modules. The alias name is connected to a configured signal. The instruction AliasIO must be run before any use of the actual signal. Functions There are no functions for the Alias I/O functionality. 43